A bare metal electrode device that was used to provide a pseudo reference potential was tested under high temperature and high-pressure conditions. This reference potential was obtained from the polarization curve of the evolution reaction of hydrogen or oxygen. A cyclic voltammetric method was used in the experiments to obtain the polarization curve for the evolution reactions. Experimental results show that the measured potential of a stainless steel electrode and a stainless steel vessel with respect to the new reference potential were consistent with the values measured against an Ag/AgCl reference electrode. As only bare metal electrodes are required in the reference electrode device, it is robust for applications under high-temperature, high-pressure and high-radiation conditions or in locations difficult to access.
Keywords: reference electrode, reference potential, corrosion potential, electrochemical potential, high temperature solution, high pressure solution, high temperature corrosion, nuclear reactor coolant, radiation field